"Low demand for Belgian tomatoes in southern Europe"

"Due to the bad weather and local production, the Southern European demand for Belgian tomatoes is low. In Portugal and Italy the weather isn't so great, which is why it's relatively calm at the moment," says Tom Vande Capelle of Alegriafruit. "Yet we expect the demand for tomatoes from the South to pull up soon once it gets warm there too. We see every year that they have their own production in certain periods, but it's often short lived. As these productions drop out, the demand for Belgian product increases again."

The main Alegriafruit sales markets are Italy, Spain and Portugal. "The most popular products are Coeur de Boeuf and San Marzano tomatoes, but also vine tomatoes and specialties in particular," according to Tom. The trader is satisfied with the price of the tomatoes. "It's a good period for the grower at the moment, the prices are on the high end due to the limited supply. On Tuesday morning the prices at auction for Coeur de Boeuf tomatoes were around €1.20 per kilo."

The greenhouse tomatoes aren't bothered much by the drought. "The vegetables are bothered by the heat. Greenhouses have enough water stored to get through dry periods like this. It's the heat that can cause them problems. Yet the quality of the tomatoes at the moment is good and we don't have any problems. We often see that towards the end of the season there are some quality problems. The setting being created by the warm weather at the moment could cause these problems," says Tom.

Besides tomatoes, the company also exports chicory, various cabbages, peppers and conference pears. "Due to the warm weather the demand for chicory is low. We expect the demand to pick up again around September/October. Besides chicory, the demand for strawberries has been a little lacklustre. The strawberries have been expensive recently, but those prices are dropping again, so the demand should start to rise," concludes Tom.

For more information:

Tom Vande Capelle

Gabriël Ghita

Oostnieuwkerksesteenweg 101

8800 Roeselare - Belgium

www.alegriafruit.be